Manchester High School - Somanhis Yearbook (Manchester, CT)

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30 SOMANHIS EVENTS The “Good Sport” has always to ove:come the opposing force. He has to face it in an absolutely open “man to man” fashion. in a game it is ap- parent who the aiding and opposing forces are, but ottentimes in life this 1s not so. Many times when someone its really helping us we cannot see it. It is often hard to believe that someone or something 1s really helping us when they are working entirely against what we believe woulda most heip us. ‘he “Good Sport” is always ready to have faith in those who are trying to help him, and never draws hasty conclusicns as to who is reaily helping him and those who only appear to do so, ‘Lhat is, he does not argue falsely, trying to convince himself that the right way lies along the path ot least resistance; in- stead he faces the facts squarely and does not lead himself to believe that evil, covered with a thin veneer of good, is genuine. Many people, although they usually recognize that the opposing force has to be dealt with, believe that the aiding force can be taken as a matter of course. This, however, is far from true. First, consider it purely from the point of view of athletics. What becomes of the team whose players do not pull together? There is probably no other fault as disastrous to a team as lack of team work. It is the same in life; no person is entirely independent of his fellow men, for he who does not pull with his running mate is lost, and will never win in the game of life. Just as each man on a team is assigned his position in accordance with his ability to fulfill it, so in life does each man choose a position for himself, because of his ability in that particular work. Positions may be divided into two classes: Those appreciated by the general public, and those which are seldom appreciated. Just because a job is inconspicuous and not appreciat- ed is no sign that it is not important. For instance, think of the basketball team. Few, who do not thoroughly understand the game, appreciate the work of a guard. The forwards and center apparently make the score. The fate of the game appears to the casual onlooker to rest in their hands. Yet what happens to the score when the guard does not pass the ball to his own forward? Many a game is lost because of the guard’s failure to do this. It is the same in life. This world would not be half as fine if the only positions were those which are under the full glare of public appreciation. Thousands of jobs which are scarcely thought of are of great importance. To cite an example of this, think of the gateman at the railroad crossing. He is usually an old man dressed in shabby clothing. He is always at his post morning and night, and although his task seems simple, when we stop to think of it, how many lives does he save in a year? He is truly a silent guardian, yet he is seldom thought of except when he lowers the gates, thus stopping traf- fic when one is in a particular hurry. It is unnecessary to remind anyone that there is always a goal in an ath- letic game. There would otherwise be no incentive, no objective. But do people always recognize this fact in life? The goal that a man sets for him- self in life holds the same position in that man’s life that the goal in an ath- letic game holds for the players. The person may be compared with a vine. If a vine is allowed to climb on a trellis three feet high, it will do so, and any- one might think that it was at the height of its ability, wh ile it is only at the end of the goal set for it; whereas, if the trellis had been five or ten feet high, the vine would have grown to it. “Quit” is a word that can never be applied to a “Good Sport.” In ath- letics a man of the greatest ability is never considered a true athlete if he possesses this quality, for it is the essence of failure. This reminds us of the attitude one should take toward losing and winning. We all realize how much this counts in athletics, but do we realize that it is of equal importance in life? Many people are ruined because they are not good winners. They are successful in some undertaking, but instead of using this success as a rung of the ladder to climb higher, they rest contented, and the world loses another leader. On the other hand, there are those who are not good losers.

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SOMEAN ELS EAVEN IES 29 The reason we find so many discourteous people in the world is that their efforts are not appreciated. They begin their work with high ideals; they intend to do all they can to please the public. For the first few weeks they are all that could be desired. But sooner or later they realize that only a very small fraction of the public appreciates their work. Then it becomes just a means of earning a livelihood, and finaliy they arrive at the stage where every man is an enemy, and the strongest man wins. Of course when one of these people dies, his friends and acquaintances shout his praises. How much brighter his life might have been if these praises had been given at a time when he could hear and enjoy them. Years ago, to praise a man to his face was almost a sin. The old adage, “Praise to the face is open disgrace,” has not been entirely blotted out with the passing years. People said that praise made a person egotistic—as though it were not good to be thus. Where will you find a virtue that is not egotistic, that is not the assertion of an abundant personality? Men would be frigid, mechanical things without a certain amount of egoism. The following poem, written by someone who understood the value of appreciation in the world, will, I believe, drive this point home: “Tf with pleasure you are viewing any work a man is doing, If you like him or you love him, tell him now. Don’t withhold the approbation till the parson makes oration, And he lies with snowy lilies o’er his brow; For no matter how you shout it, he won't really care about it. He won’t know how many teardrops you have shed, If you think some praise is due him, now’s the time to slip it to him, For he cannot read his tombstone when he’s dead. More than fame and more than money, is the comment kind and sunny, And the hearty, warm, approval of a friend. For it gives to life a savor, it makes you stronger, braver, And it gives you heart and courage to the end. If he earns your praise, bestow it, If you like him, let him know it, let the words of true encourazement be said, Do not wait till life is over, and he’s underneath the clover, For he cannot read his tombstone when he’s dead.” Ethel Robb ’23 THE MEANING OF “A GOOD SPORT” There is probably not a more common expression in the English lan- guage with more different shades of meaning than the term “Good Sport.” The most commen meaning is probably the one applied to the person who frequents a country club, or indulges in some sort of athletic games for which thousands of dollars are expended yearly in the United States. This sort of “Sport” however, is not the type about whom I am going to speak. The “Good Sport” to whom I refer is one who plays the game of life under strict compliance with the laws of sport. These laws are applicable not only to athletic sports but also to life, for there is little, if any difference between the two. In both there are opposing and aiding forces; the men in life like the men in the game, have their respective positions, and in both there must be a goal.

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SOMANHIS EVENTS 31 A person should put his best into life at all times, but when the time of fail- ure comes, and it does come to everyone, it is not the time to quit; it is the time to spur oneself on to work to the very height of his ability, both men- tally and physically. The following verse brings out the attitude one should hold toward failure: “What is a failure? It’s only a spur ‘Yo a man who receives it right, And it makes the spirit within him stir ‘To go in once more and fight. If you never have failed, it’s an even guess You never have won a high success.” Furthermore, many people who fear censure find a reasonless excuse for failure instead of accepting it. The “Good Sport” never resorts to this meth- od, for it takes away a man’s chance to try, and makes quitting easy. There is often a way to gain fame at the expense of someone else, but this is never done by the “Good Sport” who realizes that the only things worth while in this world are those which are earned. A person can often get by without doing his share, but if he does, the bigger things in life slip by him, for nothing worth while comes to us without effort—the effort of work. Science teaches us that matter can neither be created nor destroyed. If certain amounts of different substances are put into chemical action, the same amounts of those substances will remain after the action ceases, al- though in a different form. Thus, when we put hard work into our tasks, we get the same amount of work in return, only it is in the form of success. lf these laws of sportsmanship are carried out, we shall find that we have an entirely different outlook upon life than we have ever had before, if we have not tried to live up to these ideas. We do not think that just because someone or something is working against us that it is impossible to succeed. Instead, we learn that there is always an opposing force such as temptation, idleness, dishonesty, quitting, et cetera, which must be faced squarely, op- enly, and entirely wiped out of our lives. The “Good Sport” understands that not everyone can be a star, and so does not try to uphold a position in life above his ability, merely for show, but puts his best into his job. He knows that failure is part of the game and never becomes discouraged by it, for he realizes that there would be no joy in winning if he had never tasted defeat. Thus, he does not permit either success or failure to ruin him, for he knows that whether he has met with success or failure, he has learned something from his effort that will help him to succeed later. Thus the “Good Sport” wins his successes from his own hard work. Although he realizes that everyone is helped at times, he does not have to be pulled through life, but stands on his own feet, ready to get up again every time he falls down. He is ready to make good where success seems impossible, and is always ready to help another, less fortunate than he. The genuine “Gocd Sport” stands out among his associates for his good spirit, which, although it may not be appreciated by the mass of people, is, nevertheless, a valuable asset. It helps him over the difficulties as well as in his successes. “Good sportsmanship” is a characteristic for which all should strive. Eleanor Stoughton ’23